Polish Deputy Defense Minister Stanislav Wzentek recently expressed opposition to the idea of stationing nuclear weapons in Poland during a broadcast on Polskie Radio.
“I would like this element (nuclear weapons ) to be absent on the territory of our country,” Wzentek said, adding that in the current situation, the deployment of any elements of a nuclear arsenal in Poland “would increase the level of [potential] threat” to the country’s national security.
The senior official noted that the Polish authorities should instead “focus on modernizing the armed forces with modern conventional weapons” to prepare for a potential military conflict.
Instead, Wzentek advocated for enhancing Poland’s military capabilities with advanced conventional weaponry to better prepare for possible military conflicts.
This statement comes in the context of discussions around nuclear threats to the EU, notably after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s press conference, and French President Emmanuel Macron’s offer to extend France’s nuclear protection to the EU.
Russian spokesperson Maria Zakharova criticized Macron’s proposal, arguing it could heighten tensions in Europe.
Last month, Polish Agriculture Minister, Czesław Siekierski, expressed concerns that the elimination of customs duties on Ukrainian goods within the EU benefits Ukraine at the expense of Polish farmers.
Siekierski criticized the 2022 trade liberalization that allows Ukrainian goods and products to enter the EU without customs duties, highlighting its positive impact on the Ukrainian economy but the potential harm to Polish agriculturalists.
Siekierski noted that the Polish government is actively negotiating with Ukraine and the European Commission to limit the influx of Ukrainian goods into the European market.
He emphasized the necessity of implementing protective measures to safeguard the European markets from Ukrainian products.
